Chapter 871: Large Quantity, Full Satisfaction

Inside the volcanic crater, the temperature was extraordinarily high. Below, magma churned, and bubbles burst, creating an astonishing roar.

In such a harsh environment, even a True Lake Realm cultivator would be severely injured, if not killed, by an accidental fall.

Lu Ye glanced around, then swept downwards, channeling his spiritual power to protect himself. He cultivated a fire-attributed technique, and his spiritual power was also fire-attributed. Compared to other cultivators, he naturally possessed a stronger resistance to this environment. Thus, despite its harshness, it caused him no significant harm.

The volcanic crater was over a hundred zhang deep. Lu Ye descended directly to the very bottom before stopping. He found a suitable spot, took out his Panshan Blade, and carved out a foothold. With this temporary sanctuary, Lu Ye then activated the power of his Talent Tree, enveloping himself.

Instantly, the scorching sensation completely vanished. Moreover, Lu Ye could clearly perceive the surrounding heat being devoured by the Talent Tree, transforming into its fuel. If he activated the Insight Spirit Mark in his eyes, he could clearly see countless fine, root-like tendrils covering Lu Ye's entire body. These were the roots of the Talent Tree, and it was their protection that shielded Lu Ye from the scorching heat.

Back in the Return to Heaven Valley spiritual land, Huoliaoyuan of the Sacred Fire Sect had summoned the Battle Arena, intending to eradicate everyone. However, no matter how powerful the spells he unleashed, Lu Ye could easily resist them. The root cause lay with the Talent Tree; with its power safeguarding him, ordinary fire-elemental forces simply couldn't harm him. Of course, this was also partly due to Huoliaoyuan's limited strength. Although Huoliaoyuan's cultivation was stronger than Lu Ye's at the time, they were ultimately in the same realm, allowing the Talent Tree to resist his fire-elemental spells. If the disparity in their strengths were too great, even the powerful Talent Tree might not be able to withstand it.

As the Talent Tree's power was activated, a continuous stream of energy was devoured by it. Lu Ye immersed himself in observation and immediately noticed a subtle change in the leaves that were on the verge of igniting. His anticipation grew even stronger.

This spirit mark had already taken shape two or three months prior, but Lu Ye still hadn't been able to fully ignite it, nor did he know what it truly was. Now, with such a suitable environment, igniting this spirit mark would be more than achievable, given enough time. He might even gain more.

Time flowed on. Lu Ye sat cross-legged, simultaneously activating the Talent Tree's power to absorb the surrounding heat and ingesting spirit pills to refine their medicinal effects. Cultivation couldn't be delayed. After entering the True Lake Realm, the demand for spiritual power grew ever vaster, and advancing wasn't as easy as it had been in the Cloud River Realm.

Gradually, Lu Ye frowned. He noticed that the leaves on the Talent Tree were igniting somewhat slowly. This undoubtedly confirmed his previous conjecture: although the environment here was intensely hot, the quality of that heat was not high. Previously, the Talent Tree had absorbed rare flames and pill fires. Though not abundant in quantity, their quality was assured, which is why they enabled the Talent Tree's leaves to ignite quickly. In comparison, the quality of the heat here was only mediocre. At this rate, fully igniting that spirit mark would likely take another day or two.

Lu Ye pondered for a moment, then looked down at the churning magma. If he could extend the Talent Tree's roots deep into the magma, it might improve the current situation. He couldn't say how much the quality of the absorbed heat would improve, but at the very least, the quantity would be guaranteed. Having had the Talent Tree by his side for so many years, from the first time he unintentionally activated its power, Lu Ye had accumulated some experience in how to wield its abilities.

With an idea in mind, he immediately put it into action. His mental power surged as he attempted to control the roots of the Talent Tree that emerged from his skin. Surprisingly, it wasn't too difficult. The Talent Tree seemed to know his thoughts, as the roots enveloping his entire body quickly elongated and plunged into the churning magma below. Under the augmentation of the Insight Spirit Mark, a potent fiery-red energy surged into his body, and the changes in the burning leaves became increasingly obvious.

Lu Ye quickly took out a bottle of Soul Cleansing Water, dabbed a bit, and put it into his mouth. The crucial factor was his mental power. Previously, when he devoured rare flames and pill fires, the process was quick with minimal consumption, so Lu Ye could disregard it. But now, being in the Myriad Devil Ridge's territory, he had to maintain his mental power to prevent excessive consumption, which would lead to exhaustion and fatigue. Only with sufficiently robust mental power could he cope with sudden dangers.

After the Talent Tree's roots extended into the magma, the absorption efficiency significantly increased. In just under half a day, the spirit mark Lu Ye had long awaited was completely activated. He quickly immersed his mind in observation. At a glance, he saw dozens of leaves connected in a continuous blaze, burning fiercely. Upon closer inspection, each leaf bore extremely intricate patterns, with Yin and Yang principles intricately intertwined.

Finally, success!

Lu Ye gazed intently at those dozens of leaves. The next instant, a familiar sensation arrived; his soul felt as if it were being torn apart, and a flood of information poured uncontrollably into his mind. The entire process felt as if someone had pried open his skull and was stirring a red-hot branding iron inside. Fortunately, Lu Ye's mental power was now sufficiently strong, and he had previously taken Soul Cleansing Water as a precaution, so this pain lasted only two breaths before vanishing.

Regaining his composure, Lu Ye suppressed the discomfort in his head and calmly examined the new spirit mark bestowed upon him this time. A moment later, his expression turned peculiar. This spirit mark, which he had anticipated for two or three months, seemed somewhat different from what he had imagined.

What he most hoped to obtain was the Void Spirit Mark. Although his current mastery of array formations meant a high success rate in constructing one, and it was sufficient to form the core of a teleportation array, he preferred to obtain it naturally. However, what he learned from books was fundamentally different from what he gained from the Talent Tree. The former carried the possibility of construction failure, whereas with the latter, the spirit mark would form as soon as he willed it, with no prior instances of failure. If he could obtain the Void Spirit Mark from the Talent Tree, he could explore many of his ideas that relied on it, and his methods of engaging enemies would undoubtedly become unpredictable and miraculous.

However, what he obtained this time was not the Void Spirit Mark. Moreover, this new spirit mark felt somewhat underwhelming. If he called it useful, it seemed to serve no purpose; if he called it useless, it might still be useful in certain situations. Lu Ye quickly patted his face, comforting himself: "There are no useless spirit marks in this world, only useless spirit masters!" This was a teaching he had always kept in mind. Just like when he first obtained the Spirit Gathering Mark, he initially thought it would be of little use. However, it later proved to be the most beneficial spirit mark to him. Without this spirit mark, he wouldn't have been able to construct the small funnel, nor would his cultivation speed have reached such a level.

Any gain is a good thing; he shouldn't be insatiably greedy. Moreover, this was just the beginning... Lu Ye immersed himself in observing the Talent Tree and noticed that in just a moment, dozens more leaves had begun to glow red, undoubtedly indicating that the next spirit mark would also be a worthwhile item. His heart settled, and he took another drop of Soul Cleansing Water to replenish his depleted mental power.

As the scorching power within the magma was continuously devoured, the glow of those dozens of leaves grew stronger, gradually showing signs of complete ignition. However, just then, Lu Ye's heart stirred, and he frowned. Sounds of rushing air approached from afar, accompanied by indistinct voices. Judging by these sounds, the arrivals were clearly not just one person, but a group! Myriad Devil Ridge patrol cultivators.

This was the territory of the Myriad Devil Ridge, so encountering its cultivators was natural. Lu Ye wasn't surprised, having even anticipated it. Therefore, he immediately retracted the Talent Tree's power, activated the Concealment Spirit Mark, and suppressed his own aura. He hoped these people were just passing by...

But what he feared came to pass. This group of cultivators seemed to be heading straight for the volcanic crater, and their conversation soon clearly reached his ears.

"Although this place is under the jurisdiction of Lone Mountain City, and there are few people from the Vast Sky Alliance on the opposite Flaming Mountain Ridge, it's always best to be careful. And now that you've joined the Provincial Guard, you must obey orders. This is no longer your respective sects, and there are no senior brothers or sisters to look after you. If anyone dares to secretly defy orders, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Yes."

Sparse acknowledgements echoed. The speaker's tone shifted, his stern voice softening: "Of course, our mission this time isn't too troublesome. As long as you obey orders, there won't be any major issues. Since it's a mission, you'll gain battle merits upon completion. I'm sure I don't need to elaborate on the importance of battle merits; there aren't many opportunities to earn them on the Cloud River Battlefield."

"Senior Brother Ying, we'll trouble you this time," a soft, gentle female voice replied.

"Call me 'Sir'!" he corrected. "Someone should have told you when you joined the Provincial Guard that on the front lines, there are no senior or junior brothers, only superiors and subordinates."

"Sir Ying,"

"All of you, be serious!"

Immediately following was a burst of female laughter. It seemed this Sir Ying was easy to get along with; despite him leading the expedition, the other cultivators weren't overly afraid of him, even daring to joke.

"Alright, alright, once we reach the place, you all wait outside. I'll go in and check the situation."

Deep within the volcanic crater, Lu Ye's expression was peculiar. While encountering any cultivators here was unusual, meeting *this* person was a truly astounding coincidence. This individual must have already advanced to the True Lake Realm and joined the Myriad Devil Ridge's Provincial Guard. For him to appear here, could it be that he was assigned to the Lone Mountain Pass? Wouldn't this put them directly at odds? Lu Ye still remembered that furious outburst from the guy when, in the Hun Tian Sacred Temple on the Peerless Continent, they were surrounded by hordes of corpses, and the Kyushu team was in dire straits, with almost everyone believing death was certain!